| Does this scene sound familiar? | | | | particularly helpful for relaxing the body before sleep. |
| You lie in bed trying to relax, yet you play the day's | | | | 3. Try these herbs and teas - The simplest and |
| events over and over in your mind. You dwell on | | | | safest herbal sleep remedy is passionflower tea. |
| money problems. Kid problems. Marriage and | | | | Steep one teaspoon of dried passionflower for 15 |
| relationship problems. You can't shut off your brain | | | | minutes in hot water and drink shortly before |
| and get to sleep, no matter how hard you try ... and | | | | bedtime. Another common herbal remedy is to take 1 |
| the frustration mounts up. | | | | teaspoon of ginseng extract before bed. Finally, |
| According to Dr. John McDougall it's actually pretty | | | | many herbalist suggest taking a teaspoon of valerian |
| common, with 25% of adults suffering from insomnia. | | | | root tincture 1 hour before bed. As valerian is a mild |
| Conventional medicine's answer is to sleeplessness is | | | | depressant, it is best for occasional use only. |
| medication. Over 18 million new prescriptions are | | | | 4. Listen to music before bed - In a six month study |
| written every year! | | | | Gail Mornhinweg, PhD and professor of nursing found |
| But sleeping pills are a nightmare. The problem is that | | | | that all patients reported falling asleep easier after |
| they don't induce sleep. Instead they cloud memory | | | | listening to 15 minutes of Baroque or New Age music. |
| and thinking so that the insomniac forgets he was | | | | 5. Breathe deeply - As you lie down for sleep, focus |
| awake during the night. Plus, after just 4 weeks of | | | | your attention on your belly by resting your hand on |
| regular use, the body gets used to them and they | | | | it. Breathe into your belly so that your hand moves |
| become totally ineffective. | | | | up and down. As you do relax your entire body |
| Fortunately for anyone who suffers from occasional | | | | starting from you forehead and working down to |
| insomnia there are several natural remedies that have | | | | your toes. This should take about 5 minutes. Repeat |
| been shown to work. Here are the top 6. | | | | as needed. |
| 1. Use pure therapeutic-grade essential oils - Lavender | | | | 6. Meditate before bedtime - If you have a |
| and a blend called "Peace and Calming" are two very | | | | meditation practice, sit for 10 minutes before sleeping |
| effective ones. Place a couple of drops of oil in your | | | | and allow thoughts to settle and the mind to slow |
| hands, rub them together, cup them in front of you | | | | down. |
| nose and then breath deeply. Also apply a couple of | | | | There's one last remedy that I've just discovered |
| drops to your temples and the soles of your feet. In | | | | that looks to hold lots of promise. I haven't tried it |
| 1998, University of Miami researchers found that | | | | yet myself, but the testimonials are pretty |
| inhalation of lavender oil increased beta waves in the | | | | impressive. It gets results even for people with |
| brain, suggesting heightened relaxation. | | | | chronic insomnia who have tried everything else. |
| 2. Get enough exercise - Peter Tanzer, MD, author of | | | | It involves listening to an audio before sleep that is |
| "The Doctor's Guide to Sleep without Pills" suggests | | | | designed to correct the root cause of sleeplessness - |
| that exercising a couple of hours before bedtime is | | | | a busy mind. |